What causes depression ? We all get the "blues" from time to time, but major or chronic depression is that which takes a person down a "deep and dark road", often feeling there is no way out. There can be many factors, from physical to sexual to emotional to mental abuse or chemical imbalances within us caused just by our imperfection or through our own damaging desires.
The Bible book of Proverbs states: "Even in laughter the heart may feel pain, and rejoicing may end in grief ".(Prov 14:13) And at Proverbs 18, it says that "a person's spirit (or our will to live that motivates us) can sustain him through illness, but who can bear a crushed spirit ?"(Prov 18:14)
So, when a person has a "crushed spirit" or their will to live ebbs to nearly dying out like the flickering of a candle, they may feel that death has more value than life, creating a suicidal situation. Here is a startling statistic: The Calgary Herald (Canada, May 22, 2013) said that "some studies have shown that for every death by suicide, 200 people have attempted suicide and 400 people have thought about it."
So for one person that commits suicide, there are some 600 people that have either attempted it or given it thought. Hence, when we hear about a suicide, this is only the "tip of the iceberg" of people that are deeply depressed, that are on the border of taking their life.
There are Bible examples of loyal servants of God (whose personal name is Jehovah) who felt deeply depressed when extremely stressful situations arose. For example, after Elijah had proved that Jehovah was the "true God" in front of the Baal prophets at Mt Carmel and then having them all slaughtered at the stream of Kishon (northeast of Mt Carmel), resulting in wicked Queen Jezebel threatening his life, Elijah fled for his life.(1 Kings 18; 19:1-3)
Elijah, after having traveled about a "day's journey", and then sitting down under a broom tree, asked that he might die: "It is enough ! Now, O Jehovah, take away my life away, for I am no better than my forefathers (feeling that he had failed as did his forefathers)".(1 Kings 19:4)
Hence, even the most loyal servants of God can go through periods of intense depression. But to show that when people feel depressed, they need loving support, the account at 1 Kings 19 shows that an angel came to strengthen him, not condemning him.(1 Kings 19:5-8)
Even Jesus became "low" just before his execution by the Jews (the Romans were just "pawns" the Jews used Luke 23:1, 2, charging Jesus with sedition so that the Roman government would do the "dirty work" of his execution, 1 Thess 2:14, 15), so that Jehovah sent an angel to strengthen him.(Luke 22:43)
He felt so much agony at that time (carrying the extremely heavy load of the providing the ransom for obedient mankind, Isa 53:7, 8; Matt 20:28) that "his sweat became as drops of blood falling to the ground".(Luke 22:44) His anguish was so powerful that it is possible that he sweated with droplets of blood mixed in. And as Isaiah 53:10 says, that "it was Jehovah's will to crush him, and let him become sick" in order to provide the life-saving ransom for obedient mankind.
When we feel that a load is too great to carry, we may "crumble" under the stress, falling into depression.(compare Isa 53:12 that says of Jesus: "He carried the sins of many people, and he interceded for the transgressors") Thus, a person who is "down in the dumps" that seems to never go away, needs a "lifeline" or support network of loving people who encourage rather than discourage with disparaging remarks.(see Prov 25:11 that says: "Like apples of gold in sliver carvings, is a word spoken at the right time")
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians: "Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our trials so that we may be able to comfort others in any sort of trial with the comfort that we receive from God".(2 Cor 1:3, 4)
Jehovah provides a guarantee that all depression will be a thing of the past, saying at Isaiah 65: "For look ! I am creating a new heavens (or government called God's Kingdom) and a new earth (or righteous "meek" ones who receive the earth as their "inheritance" forever, Ps 37:11, 29; Matt 5:5); And the former things will not be called to mind, nor will they come up into the heart (to cause pain and depression)".(Isa 65:17; see also Rev 21:3-5)